Yahoo DFS Basketball: Saturday-Sunday Picks

Winner of the FSWA 2016 Newcomer of the Year Award, Juan Carlos Blanco has been playing fantasy sports for close to 20 years and covers NBA, MLB, and the NFL for Rotowire.com, including serving as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' beat writer. He has previously written for KFFL.com and remains an avid season-long and daily fantasy player in multiple sports.

Yahoo offers a Saturday-Sunday four-game slate that includes more choices than the typical two-game postseason offering. With three series heating up and one team on the brink of elimination, letís take a look at where the dollars might best be allocated this weekend:

GUARD

John Wall, WAS at BOS ($51): For those who canít afford James Harden ($60), Wall makes for an excellent pivot considering heís flashed upside north of 70 fantasy points during the postseason. Heís averaging 28.0 points, 12.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 2.0 blocks per game in the first three games of the series, and Saturdayís Game 4 figures to require a level of involvement from Wall similar to that of the first two games, when he sported a 34.8 percent usage rate and averaged 1.48 fantasy points per minute.

Patty Mills, SA at HOU ($15): Mills had 26.0 fantasy points Friday night in his first start in place of Tony Parker (leg), playing a robust 30 minutes. He figures to see a similar workload Sunday and draws a solid matchup against the Rockets, who gave up the second-most fantasy points per game (59.7) to point guards over the last 10 games of the regular season. Houston struggled against Spurs point guards early in the series, as Parker had 30.6 fantasy points in 26 minutes before exiting with his injury in Game 2. If George Hill is forced to miss Saturdayís game with his toe injury, Shelvin Mack ($13) also makes for a solid play.

Guard to Avoid

Lou Williams, HOU vs. SA ($18): After scoring a modest 18.6 fantasy points in Game 1 of the series, Williams scored 2.0 and 2.2 fantasy points in Games 2 and 3, respectively. His playing time has also dropped in each game, bottoming out at 11 minutes in Fridayís Game 3. Heís shot 2-for-11 over the last two contests and with what appears to be a reduced role at the moment, he can be avoided.

Draymond Green, GS vs. UTA ($38): Green is one of several appealing candidates near the top tier at forward, but he may be the one to provide the points-per-dollar value when itís all said and done. Heís scored no fewer than 40.9 fantasy points in any postseason game and has crossed the 60-mark on one occasion. Heís averaging well over a fantasy point per minute and could return similar value in what should be another robust minutes allotment during what should be a competitive Game 3 in Utah.

Otto Porter, Jr. WAS vs. BOS ($23): Porter continues to be one of the most dependable mid-tier cash or GPP plays since the halfway point of the first-round series against the Hawks, having scored over 30 fantasy points in four of the last six games and 24.3 and 26.1 fantasy points in the other two contests during that span. Porterís playoff success against the Celtics is no fluke either, as he averaged 17.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game in four regular-season contests versus Boston.

Forward to Avoid

Serge Ibaka, TOR vs. CLE ($26): Ibaka scored just 12 points over 35 minutes in Game 3, and he has seen his fantasy point totals drop from 27.2 to Fridayís 18.4 over the first three games of the series. The Cavs were also ranked in the top half of the league against power forwards during the regular season, and given Ibakaís price, cheaper options in better matchups such as Jae Crowder ($23) and Porter are more prudent selections.

CENTER

Rudy Gobert, UTA vs. GS ($34): Gobert had a trademark 16-point, 16-rebound double-double in Game 2, leading to 38.2 fantasy points. That was an extension of his regular-season success versus the Warriors, as he averaged 16.0 points, 17.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game in three starts against them. He should also see a slight bump on offense if George Hill (toe) is forced to miss Game 3. Additionally, the Warriors allowed 47.3 fantasy points per game (including 53.9 over the last five games of the season) to centers in the regular season.

Clint Capela, HOU vs. SA ($17):Pau Gasol ($15) makes for a very viable play on the other side of this matchup, but Capela has flashed excellent upside in the series, scoring over 40 fantasy points in two of the last three games. He posted double-doubles in both of those contests and has had no trouble on the glass despite the Spurs ranking as the second-stingiest defense in the league in fantasy points allowed per game (42.3) to centers during the regular season.

Center to Avoid

David Lee, SA at HOU ($11):Pau Gasol has started at center in the last two games, and Lee has been mostly quiet in the first three games of the series. Heís scored between 9.2 and 11.4 fantasy points during that span and has played fewer than 20 minutes in the last two games. If you must go cheap at center, Nene Hilario makes for a more appealing pivot at the same price.

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The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Juan Carlos Blanco plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: jcblanco22, FanDuel: jc_blanco22, DraftPot: jc_blanco22, FantasyDraft: jc_blanco22, OwnThePlay: jcblanco22.